Kovalev wants Stevenson for March

Hard hitting WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev is hoping to return to the ring in March and wants WBC king Adonis Stevenson as his opponent.

The unbeaten Russian had a breakthrough year in 2013 winning the world title by stopping Welshman Nathan Cleverly in August and then knocking out Ismayl Sillakh in November. Kovalev is currently 23-0-1 with 21 ko’s and his bout with Sillakh was part of a co-feature with Stevenson’s emphatic victory over Tony Bellew.

Kovalev has gone on record stating that he would like to unify the divison in 2014 with fights against not only Stevenson but IBF champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA titleholder Beibut Shumenov. If he were to get those fights, which may struggle to materialise due to a number of factors including opposing TV networks (Hopkins fights on Showtime, Kovalev is on HBO), then it would be an unforgettable year.

Talking to RINGTV Kovalev’s manager Egis Klimas said "Right now, we’re talking about many opportunities. We’re talking with HBO, but we can’t get a straight answer. We’re talking about Moscow with Mr. [Andrey] Ryabinsky. We’re trying to put Sergey on his March 15 card" he the mentioned that:

"There’s a possibility that Sergey would be the headliner, but there is also a possibility that Drozd would be. I would like Stevenson, but he is going back and forth. It doesn’t look like he’s going to get into the ring before May or June. We’d like to get the fight earlier, so it’s reeally hard to say. But I’m sure that it’s going to be a top-ranked fighter by the WBO, whoever we’re going to be facing next."